Small Town Life

Since I have started the search for a teaching job, I have gained a new appreciation for small town life (this may come as a surprise to those of you who know I did not get the local teaching job for which I interviewed because I wasn’t the assistant-principals-second-cousins-baby-mama, but wait). 
First off, a little background.  I graduated in December equipped with a teaching certificate, Masters degree, and the enthusiasm and optimism that comes only with a shiny new diploma.  Oh, I knew it was a rotten market for new teachers, but surely I’d be able to find a job…I’d had a great student teaching experience thanks to a wonderful lead teacher and had gotten positive feedback about my performance.  I was ready to take on the (elementary school) world.  I sent out applications to all (and I do mean all) of the surrounding counties, complete with a resume and snappy cover letter, and waited for the calls and interviews to roll in, meanwhile telling everyone who would listen that I was on the hunt for a job.
As the days, and weeks went by without so much as a call or email from the schools, I got a bit less optimistic.  And as the weeks and months went by I got downright depressed.  But even though I wasn’t hearing from the schools , one thing I did hear a lot of was care and concern from the people in our small town. 
“How’s the job hunt going?” my favorite checkout lady at Kroger would ask.
“Any word yet?” from the guy who walks his dog three times a day in our neighborhood.
“Did you find a job? Any leads?” Matthew’s former teacher always asks. 
And while the answer has thus far always been a shake of my head…their answers have never failed to lift me-
“Well keep at it.  It’ll happen in God’s time.”
“The right job just hasn’t come open yet.”
and my personal favorite:
“They don’t know they’re missing!”
While the job hunt stinks, and the job market is depressing, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many folks who really do care about how I’m doing.  Small town living may have it’s downsides, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.